Tag Archives: nail care

Feb18

New Slate Grey & Denim Blue Nails

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New Slate Grey & Denim Blue Nails

Hello! For Valentine’s Day, I just had to treat myself to a fill for my talons even though it was a bit earlier than my four week mark between appointments. I had an insanely busy week and the fact that I could get pampered at the end of it definitely helped get me through the long work days. My go to girl at Elysian Nails was unavailable, however, another of my favorite techs was able to fit me in and it was so nice to catch up. She also did a fabulous job on my claws! Check it out:

Normally, it takes me a fairly long time to pick out the perfect color combination for my nails. This time, though, I walked up to the polish station and my eyes immediately locked on a bottle of rich denim blue by OPI. I was in love and decided to go with a slate grey because of its blue undertones to enhance the beautiful blue even more. I am particularly fond of the shade of slate grey that I picked out and have used similar colors before but this one is definitely my favorite! I also love the fact that, in certain lighting, the denim blue looks black – it’s like having two different polish colors in one. 😀

I knew I was in good hands with my nail tech and we spent my entire time at the salon gabbing away about quarantine life, our favorite TV shows, and the traditions of Lunar New Year, which my tech was kind enough to teach me about. I also happened to get my fill on my favorite day at Elysian Nails: Throwback Thursday! They play the best hits of the late 90s and early 2000s all day and every time a new song would come on, we would both reminisce on how it was our jam. And apparently still is now!

Elysian Nails is, hands down, the best salon that I have ever been to. The nail techs are so incredibly talented and I enjoy getting to know each of them. The atmosphere created in the salon is not only fun with the great music and constant chit chat but I also feel safe when I go there because of their dedication to following COVID-19 regulations and then some. Whenever I go there, I not only get to be pampered like a queen but I get to see all of the techs and the owners who I am lucky enough to consider friends now. ❤

What is your nail salon like? What color of nail polish are you rocking? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul29

New Hot Pink & Chartreuse Nails

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New Hot Pink & Chartreuse Nails

Hello! As an essential worker who is in close contact to a high risk population, I have been really limiting my time out in public. Honestly, it takes a lot to even leave the house sometimes. Back in the “normal” days, I always looked forward to my monthly nail appointments. But, now, I really really look forward to it because it is one of the two to three community outings I do per month.

I am so thankful to my favorite salon, Elysian Nails, for taking all of the necessary precautions that make me feel like I can relax while I’m there. Normally, when I’m out doing grocery shopping I want to leave ASAP because of all of the people! Even though we are in crazy times, everyone needs a treat and I feel like a million bucks whenever I leave the salon chair. Still a nervous wreck – but a million bucks, none of the less.

The nail tech I had this time around was not the most gentle, but I still really like how my claws turned out! Take a look:

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As someone with a ton of tattoos and piercings, like me, can tell you: Beauty is pain. However, I don’t think I have ever been nicked or said “ouch” as many times as this previous one. And, I really don’t mean to complain, but it was definitely not the most pleasant experience – especially since the salon is where I go to find myself, lol.

Despite all of the ouchies, I absolutely love the colors of my nails. Both of these shades are by my favorite nail care brand, Londontown. The pink hue is called Summer Fling and the chartreuse is appropriately named Electric Avenue. Summer time is when you can go all out with bright, poppy colors and I was inspired by my favorite warm weather treat – watermelon!

It’s amazing how something so little like a neon color can make me smile but I feel happy when I look at my nails. And, given the current state of everything going on right now, I’ll take any extra pep in my step that I can get. Thanks to Elysian Nails for always keeping my claws on point and to Londontown for introducing me to a Summer Fling on Electric Avenue! 😀

Have you ever had an unpleasant salon experience? What happened? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov16

Londontown Pampering Party

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Londontown Pampering Party

Hi! This past week, I treated my mom to a pampering party with some amazing products by Londontown. My sweet mother, JANE, tested out the Nourishing Cuticle Oil and Restorative Nail Cream and fell in love with the Londontown brand as much as I have. Of course, I would have liked to use these products myself, but they wouldn’t have been much good over top of my talons! But, it was even more fun letting my mom get the royal treatment because we always revel in the chance to play beauty shop. 🙂 Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

Nourishing Cuticle Oil:

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Restorative Nail Cream:

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^^^ Peep my claws in Londontown’s Buckingham Blue and Electric Avenue!

My mom is the literal queen of surprising her loved ones with beautiful gifts that catch her eye when she’s out and about. So, whenever I have a chance to give back to her, I jump on it. On a day when I finished work early, I headed over to chez mom and dad, enjoyed a Chinese dinner, and prepped the station for an impromptu beauty salon.

First, I soaked my mom’s nails in warm water. Then, I applied the Nourishing Cuticle Oil, rubbed it in, and let it sit for a while before I pushed her cuticles back. The oil made the cuticles much more pliable and it was so easy to remove all of the overgrown parts once they were nice and soft. After using the Nourishing Cuticle Oil, my mom had actual nails again that looked long and healthy.

The pampering had only just begun, though, because it was now time to top if off with the Restorative Nail Cream, which is what we are both the most excited about. This product is absolutely INCREDIBLE! Let’s start with the fact that it smells so good – the light as air, fresh cotton scent was just right with the rich, super hydrating cream.

And, most importantly, the non greasy formula left my mom’s nails and the surrounding areas smooth as silk. It also made her nails so insanely shiny which was a vast improvement to the dull hue that they were before. There was a noticeable difference after just one use and we are both looking forward to seeing her nails look better over time with continued use of the Restorative Nail Cream.

The Londontown Pampering Party that I had with my mom was a huge success. It was such a blast being able to spend time with her and it felt so good to let her be the one to get treated for a change. We can both attest to Londontown’s fabulous products and highly recommend the Nourishing Cuticle Oil and Restorative Nail Cream for your pampering pleasure!

How do you care for your nails? What is your favorite Londontown product? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov7

Londontown Unboxing

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Londontown Unboxing

Hi! As we all know, Lil Red is a nail girl. I would be nowhere without my talon style acrylics and am only in my truest form when they are eye poking sharp! Getting my nails done is such a treat and I look forward to my monthly visit to the salon to get myself right. There is nothing better than taking an hour or two to yourself to get pampered and I always leave my stomping grounds of Elysian Nails feeling like a million bucks.

I am especially excited for my next trip to get a fill because I have some amazing new goodies from Londontown to test out. Boasting a vegan, 9-free formula and a stunning array of colors to choose from, my nails are never going to look better compliments of the products below. Check it out:

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Seen From Top To Bottom:

  • Buckingham Blue polish
  • Summer Fling polish
  • Electric Avenue polish
  • Restorative Nail Cream
  • Nourishing Cuticle Oil

In the next few days, you can see all of my nail care adventures including an outing to the salon and a girls night in with my darling mom to test out the cuticle oil and nail cream. It’s going to be a lot of fun and the end results are sure to be gorgeous so keep it posted on lifewithlilred!

How do you care for your nails? What is your favorite nail polish color from Londontown? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul21

Londontown Pampering Party

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Londontown Pampering Party

Hello everyone and happy weekend to all of you! As we all know by now, Lil Red is a nail girl and I would be nothing without my beloved talon acrylics. I think this deep love for being pampered in terms of my nails comes from my beautiful grandma, because I can always remember how much she enjoyed having her nails painted with lovely shades of seashell pinks.

I am lucky enough to be pampered every four to five weeks or so when I get my nails filled. My mom, on the other hand, doesn’t get to enjoy the luxury of a manicure, because with the intense medical treatment that she’s under, she wants to avoid any more chemicals on her body than need be. This is perfectly understandable, of course!

But, this doesn’t mean that sweet JANE doesn’t want her nails looking as nice as possible, so I decided to treat her to a fabulous cuticle treatment by Londontown. Londontown is an amazing nail and hand care brand that is dedicated to strengthening nails and nourishing hands in the most natural way possible. Their products use a variety of different oils and essential vitamins to show your phalanges some love, and I knew that it would be the perfect surprise to give to my mom. Take a look:

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^^^ In order, you can see my mom’s nails without treatment, with the treatment on, and after the treatment was finished.

Londontown’s Nourishing Cuticle Oil treatment worked wonders on my mom, and she has now deemed herself “obsessed” with it. We had a blast playing beauty shop together as I applied the product and we watched as it worked its magic. Our first impression of the treatment was its scent. It smelled herbal and sweet without being overly pungent or perfumey. This was so nice, because that’s actually one of my mom’s favorite scent styles and it made us eager to apply it and see if it works as good as it smells!

Before using Londontown’s Nourishing Cuticle Oil treatment, my mom’s cuticles were really dry and brittle. They looked so ready to be removed, and I was really hoping that this product would be as good as anticipated, because if anyone deserves to be pampered – it’s my mother. Lucky for us, we didn’t have to wait long to see if this treatment was the one for her, because almost instantly upon application, she could feel it moisturizing the problem areas on her nails.

Not only was the treatment so nourishing, but its consistency did so in a non-greasy manner, which is so important to both of us when it comes to our beauty products. Its texture was not thick but, rather, quite thin and it stayed on the nail well without running onto the towel under my mom’s hands. #wastenotwantnot

After the Nourishing Cuticle oil was on my mom’s nails for a few minutes, she pushed her cuticles back, removed them as best as she could, and then I applied some more treatment. Neither of us are nail experts, by and means, but in just one use her nails looked so much better. My mom said that she felt so spoiled to be using the treatment and it made her nails look pretty without polish, which was the goal all along. ❤

Be sure to tune in next week to see my new acrylics featuring some gorgeous nail polish shades by Londontown!

How do you pamper your hands and nails? How do you create a spa night in? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: I can’t make this up. As I write this, my mom literally walked down the stairs while rubbing in the cuticle treatment and goes “Sarah, I’m addicted to this. I just feel like my nails look better”. So it definitely has the Sarah & Jane Seal Of Approval! Thanks, Londontown!